E-scooters come to London – but City postpones involvement

Electric scooters, known as e-scooters, will officially become available to rent in selected areas of London from today (June 7th 2021) as part of a year-long scheme to measure their viability.

However, the trial hit an early roadblock when one of the capital’s boroughs announced it would be postponing its involvement.

According to the Evening Standard, the City of London Corporation will not be joining the scheme until July 5, apparently due to a delay in resolving administrative issues, rather than any safety concerns.

This will restrict the initial use of the e-scooters to Canary Wharf and to four west London boroughs – Richmond, Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham and Kensington and Chelsea. The original plan had been to allow e-scooters to be ridden between the twin financial hubs of Canary Wharf and the Square Mile.

Earlier this year, Transport for London (TfL) and London Councils announced Dott, Lime and Tier Mobility as the winners of its prized e-scooter pilot, confirming suspicions based on job postings by the companies. 

Last year, the government legalized e-scooter rental trials by local authorities, although private e-scooter riding both on the road or pavement remains illegal.